Fated An Alpha Male Romance - K. Alex Walker Page 0,74

that she can tell when two people are a perfect match,” she went on. “That they’re supposed to be together. The first time she ever said that about me and Eli, it was before we even pursued a romantic relationship. The minute we did, it was crazy. It was like he had control over all of my five senses — six if you include the fact that there are times I can literally feel his pain. And I don’t mean that I start hopping up and down if he stubs his toe. I mean, when his mother was sick, I could literally point to all the spots on his body that ached because I felt them at the exact same points.” She shot the wrapper in the wastebasket. “Any of this sound familiar to you?”

“Are you asking if I felt that way about Alexandra?”

“I’m asking if this is how you feel about her.”

I ran my fingers through my hair. This was another one of those instances where talking to a woman could pull someone in two different directions. I didn’t want to talk about my feelings, but at the same time, I kinda’ did.

“Ok, so you don’t want to answer,” she resigned. “You’re a man. I get it. Keep this anyhow.”

She fished a piece of notebook paper from her purse.

“What is this?” I asked.

“It’s the venue where the wedding is going to take place.” She nonchalantly grabbed another piece of candy and then sauntered to the door. “I believe in my grandmother’s notions, even though they might seem a bit outrageous. Some might even say that crazy Gia would believe in something like destiny, fate, and folklore. But, something inside of me knows that I can’t be the best version of myself with anyone but Eli, and I am one-hundred percent sure that my sister feels the same way about you. I just don’t know what’s holding her back. Alle has a true chance at happiness with you and I’m just as sure that you’d love her without an end in sight. Even if you don’t do anything with that information, I’ll be damned if I stand by and watch her make the biggest mistake of her life.”

Then, she was gone.

I looked at the paper, suddenly feeling as though I was a participant in a secret mission to carry out a coup. With every fiber of my being I wanted to storm the hotel, completely ruin everything, and get my woman back. But, on the other hand, she was an adult. She’d made her choice. Who was I to interfere with something that she had complete control over?

I pulled open my desk drawer to put away the paper, but my mother’s letter came sliding forward. I stared at it until my eyes began to absorb the coffee colored stains and then, with a grunt, pulled it out. I began to tear at the top and for the first time noticed that there’d been an address printed on the flap. I briefly wondered if it was where my mother was now living since her apparent release from prison.

The letter inside was undamaged and as I read her print, I remembered the sound of her voice as it danced between my ears:

Ethan,

I know that I am several years, and possibly decades, too late in writing this. I know it probably won’t make a difference if I tell you how long I’ve been thinking about doing it, but it’s been a while. I just never knew what to say to you or what kind of apology I could offer that would allow you to forgive me.

I think about you every single day. As much as I hated not being close to you, I was still happy to know that Dad raised you to be such a distinguished man. If you’d stayed with me, you would have never gone to medical school, that’s for darn sure. You probably wouldn’t have even finished high school since I wasn’t steering you in a good direction at all. But, I’m rambling.

I’m writing to tell you that I got released early and didn’t have to serve the entire thirty five years. I want to see you, but I wanted to write first since I’m not sure how you will receive me. I’m staying in a pretty decent place in Tampa, FL. I actually got a job working for a small repair shop doing their customer service stuff. The pay’s pretty good and in no time, I should be